Chapter 020 - Confusion

The four of us—Saitama, Genos, Lily, and I—go out of the unit by the veranda. As expected, it's my older sister, Tatsumaki. She is hovering above us, her arms are across her chest and is currently looking down on us.

"Fubuki, what have you been doing for the past few days?!"

"I'm not, in any way, hurt, sis!"

"Then what is that pain I've been sensing from you?!"

"But I am perfectly fine!"

Then Lily whispers beside me, "You've got some recent heartbreak, Miss Fubuki."

I ignore her and instead, I say to my sister, "It might be my discomfort that you are sensing. I just transferred. I am living here now."

"Why?!"

Because I fell in love–but I try hard to screen that thought from my sister. "This is the abandoned part in City Z. I think I can get more training here."

"THIS IS STILL NOT YOUR APARTMENT!" she scolds. "Are you too weak that you can't fly here in a split second for your training?!"

I wince at the insult, but I know my sister. She is just being honest. "Even if you make me return, I can't anymore. I relinquished my apartment and I am also sharing the pay in this unit."

Saitama leans towards me and whispers, "Aren't you paying the whole price of the unit?"

I am about to turn my attention to him when Tatsumaki hovers close to me. "Don't tell me you are living with these three people now?"

Her eyes are scrutinizing the three. "A wannabe S-class. An unknown hero whose class I don't even know. And one of your weak slaves. I can't believe you are fitting yourselves in such a tiny apartment. You could have lived with me! My unit's always empty, anyway!"

"That was the point," I say. "You are not always at your unit so it doesn't matter whether or not I live with you. Besides, wherever I am, you can sense me. You said so yourself, that it's safer that way."

She makes another discontented groan as she stares at us. "Okay, I am bored, serve me food."

"There's no food for you here," Genos interjects.

"Don't make me blast you against any flat surface again," my sister warns.

"I can cook you some eggs," I offer.

"Good!" Tatsumaki says. She hovers towards us, enters Saitama's unit, and sits on the coffee table. "Now, where is it?"

"Ahm, this is my unit, you know," Saitama says and leans even closer to me than ever. "Please tell that to your sister."

I turn my attention to him and ask, "I hope there are some eggs at least?"

"There is none," he says. "However, there is a sale ongoing in my favorite grocery."

I scowl at him. "And let me guess, I am going to buy it?"

"Of course not. We can pay half," he says.

I sigh and place my hands on my hips. "Fine, let's go wherever this grocery is."

***********************

After buying eggs, bread, and a couple more grocery items, I am already at my wit's end. I cross my arms on my chest as I wait for Saitama to finish paying for the grocery. It should only be eggs, but the grocery has ballooned to more than that–which means I paid more than I expected… again.

I do like this grocery date with him. It's a novelty to see him thrilled as he points on different items on sale though. But my sister's annoyance, while she waits for her fried egg, takes up the majority of my mind.

"Can't you be a little slower?" I ask, tapping my feet on the tiled floor when he's done.

He ignores my annoyance and instead pushes a bag of bread into my hands. "Carry this and I will carry the others."

Groaning, I still obey. We went out of the grocery, but instead of returning to the abandoned part of city Z, he is walking towards somewhere I don't know.

"Hey, where are we going?" I ask.

He pauses and I look at him. "Do you think your sister is still in my unit?"

"Probably?" Besides, she's not the type to give up easily, despite being the impatient type.

"Okay, then. Let's go somewhere first."

"But—" My complaints are cut off when he reaches for my wrist and pulls me with him. My breathing catches and I hope that he won't notice the way my heart starts to pound incessantly against my ribcage.

"There," he says.

I shake my head. I realize that I have been staring at the back of his bald head as he pulls me with him. I shift my attention to where he is pointing at. It is a small park. Very small, in fact, that no one is in it except for birds.

He is still holding my hands and so, I let him pull me toward one of the benches. He lets go of my hand before sitting heavily on it.

"Let's wait it out for a while," he suggests and taps the seat next to his.

I blush and shyly sit beside him. He's quiet for a while, that is, until a white cat approaches and raises its head to us. I look at it, curious at the big round eyes that stare at mine.

"It looks like it wants some of the bread you are holding," Saitama says.

"Oh," I mutter. My eyes go back and forth between him and the cat who is now sitting in front of us.

Saitama pinches the bread and lets the cat sniff it. After a few breathless moments, the cat takes the bread into its mouth and munches on it. After eating the piece of bread, it looks up at us and meows. Saitama gives it another piece again and I lean closer to the cat, same as Saitama.

"Here, try to feed it," Saitama offers.

"I am not a cat person, I—"

He shoves the piece of bread in my hands. When the cat sees that its food transferred ownership, it meows at me instead. It even moves closer and rubs its head on my ankle.

Without a choice, I lean towards it and mimic what Saitama had done earlier. I smile when the cat takes the piece of bread from my hands.

"Okay, that's cute," I blurt out.

Then, I start feeding it more until the cat refuses to take another bite again. "Is it full?" I ask Saitama.

Instead of answering, he asks, "Are you feeling a little discomfort in my place?"

My hand freeze, and I look at him. There is still a bored look on his face, but somehow, there is a glimmer of something else. Hope starts budding inside my chest.

"I am fine," I say.

"Since you have a wealthy sister, I thought you find our current setup inconvenient."

Our setup?! I blush. It sounds as if we are the only one living in his unit! Awkward and too conscious, I blurt out the first thing that comes out of my mouth.

"That is a bit true. I can earn millions if I want to. I can even get a better apartment if I work on it, unlike you. You are pretty broke even if we are both B class."

He rolls his eyes. "Okay, you are back to your stuck-up attitude again."

"I am stuck-up? I am just stating the truth!"

"I think we've wasted enough time. Your sister might have already left," he says, completely ignoring what I have been telling him.

If I am back to my stuck-up attitude, then he's the same! "You too," I say. "You are reverting to your unfeeling self."

We stare at each other, and it's him who withdraws his eyes. He shrugs his shoulders. "Let's return and you can cook your sister's fried egg," he says and starts walking away from me. This time, he didn't hold my hand.